Extraterrestrial Kitty

Orpheus

When Kasaundra informed me of her plans to rent a car, drive to Southern California and pay several hundred dollars for a cat,  my reaction was, “I’ve never said anything you are doing is stupid, but this is stupid.  Think of all the cats that need a home right here in town.  And you can get one for free.”  But she had done her research, had her heart set on this cat, and had already paid for it.

Well now that I’ve gotten to know this animal, I see why this particular breed is in demand. Orpheus is an Oriental Shorthair, known for their gentle, affectionate nature and attachment to their owner.  Very intelligent and playful, they have many doglike qualities.  Plus they don’t shed!  Kasaundra is allergic to cats but still wanted one, so this was the solution.

I have since admitted I was wrong and apologized for not supporting her decision.  The varmint is growing on me.

"I'm part Siamese, you know."

Family Portrait

Hike To Hoodoo Planet

Bart and Robyn were in town this week on one of their twice-a-year photo trips through the area.  I usually take them to one of my favorite enchanted locales.  This is a place I call Hoodoo Planet.

Any time Bart fills up his memory card, I figure I done good.

Some of these rocks are bigger than RV's.

Last Shot

Training For Death Valley

My long walks and hikes are getting more frequent as I whip myself back into shape.  I’ve lost atleast 5 pounds and whittled down the middle-age ponch with the world’s simplest and most basic diet:  Less food, more exercise.  No need to spend $$$ on the latest weight-loss fad.

I timed myself on the Squaw Trail, a 1.5-mile, 1,000-foot ascent to the top of the Vermilion Cliffs north of town.  56 minutes - not bad.  I took a leisurely pace with many rest stops.  The entire round-trip hike is 5 miles from my doorstep.  A nice workout. 

My reward came as I sat on the bench at the top, enjoying the late afternoon light on the White Cliffs to the north.  I thought if I stayed still and quiet I might see some wildlife, maybe a coyote or a deer.  I hadn’t been there 10 minutes when the first mule deer came out of the juniper trees 500 feet away.  As the group of 5 caught wind or sight of me they stopped, sized me up and correctly decided I was not a threat, even though it is hunting season.

All told there were 8 of them, and they ambled to within 100 feet of me just calmly going about their browsing business.  Then I started to make my way back down the mountain, reaching the bottom of the trail in the last dim light of the day.

Which Way To Turn The Wheel

Two months ago my Park Ranger season was over and I rejoiced in my situation.  I had plenty of time to do what I wanted, and at the same time had no money worries.  How often in life does that happen?  “Stay tuned for the next adventure,” I said.  Well I’m still sitting here.

I haven’t been wasting my life away watching TV or anything like that.  (I don’t watch TV.)  There just haven’t been any big adventures.  I’ve spent way too much time staring at my laptop watching the stock market, and while this has resulted in severe eye strain, it did bring me some nice profits.  For a while there I was making more money than you working chumps.

But that’s no life.  Occasionally I get out and hike, and even socialize!  I have a part in an upcoming play in our local community theater, and weekly rehearsals are fun.  I even get to perform some original songs!  For weeks I debated getting into infrared landscape photography, but in the end it came back to the same position I held in earlier posts: that there are just too many photographers out there, nobody’s selling anything, and it’s just not worth the investment.  I had to decide, should I take these thousands of dollars and invest them in good stocks with a good chance of profits, or should I buy camera equipment, new computer and Photoshop with a slim chance of  selling my work, and an even slimmer chance of making a profit?  It seemed like a no-brainer to me.  Sure I’d like to be doing something creative, but get real – nobody’s buying fluff in this economy.

Toward the end of my ranger season, I took in a wonderful Border Collie puppy who had been abandoned and left for dead in the desert.  After a few days of  TLC he was happy and healthy again.  Then there was the question of whether I should keep him.  You see, I live in a small trailer and Border Collies are very intelligent, high-energy dogs that need stimulation and room to run.  I fell in love with him but was unwilling to give up the best rental deal in town in order to give him a suitable home.  It broke my heart to give him up, but knowing where he was going made it easier.  He is in training to be a search-and-rescue dog!  The perfect life for him.  Go Max!

Max resting on our 9-mile hike.

I have been wanting to do some backpacking in the wilderness, but my day hikes tell me I’m not in good enough shape for that.  So that’s motivation to get away from the damn computer and get in shape!  Now as the first Winter storm bears down on Utah (snow tonight!), it is clear that by the time I get into shape, Death Valley will be the only place warm enough for an adventure into the wilderness.

Attention Bart And David

Hey guys (and gals), the cottonwoods are reaching peak colors.  ‘Should be great when you get here in 2 weeks.

Hackberry Canyon or Round Valley Draw, anyone?

No Luck At North Rim

This is starting to feel like REAL storm chasing, without the 500-mile drives.  I went to Cape Royal on Saturday of Labor Day Weekend after a final weather check showed that a Flash Flood Watch had been issued for Grand Canyon and points south.  Oh boy, meaty rain shafts!  I got just what I ordered along the road to Cape Royal.  A photogenic storm was in progress just off the east rim, and several people were taking shots of it, poised with  trigger finger on the button trying to capture a lightning bolt.  But I thought even better scenes would be found out at the Cape.  And I didn’t like all the people around.

I should have stayed.  I could have gotten a nice wide-angle of a storm dumping heavy rain into the canyons.  At the Cape, 2 storms hugged the rim across the Canyon, looking dark and ominous but producing little lightning.

I’m looking for my Lightning Trigger to arrive any day now, and then I will plan a camping trip of several days to Pt. Sublime.  Negotiating that road is only worth it if you can camp several days, you have your Lightning Trigger, and you have storms!  Atleast that’s the point of view of a photographer/storm chaser.

The monsoon, which has been pitiful this year, is almost over, so I will have to wait for the next stormy period.

Storm Chasing At The Grand Canyon

Last week I did a scouting trip to remote viewpoints along the North Rim, looking for a place where I could camp that  also had a view across the Grand Canyon.  I drove over 100 miles on dirt roads and came to the conclusion that Point Sublime would be the place.  All the other viewpoints look west, not south across the Canyon.  I did enjoy Sowats Point, with its view across the Kanab Creek Wilderness.  A passing thunderstorm left a thousand pools behind, glittering on the sandstone like so many jewels.  In binoculars they looked like city lights, from 1 to 10 miles out.

I have not yet been to Point Sublime, but my research tells me this is the place.  Unfortunately, you need to make a reservation to camp there, and the Park Service would like 3 weeks notice!  I will have to try for a walk-in permit at the North Rim Backcountry Office, hoping for cancellations.  Otherwise, I’ll have to settle for visits to Cape Royal.  Both viewpoints have sweeping panoramas looking across the Canyon, but you can’t camp at Cape Royal.  The upside is, it’s paved all the way out there.

I’m hoping to take advantage of moisture drifting north from remnants of Hurricane Jimena.  There is the potential for nice lightning shows and good, meaty rainshafts into next week.  If I can get Point Sublime, the drive out there will be part of the adventure.  The 17-mile trek takes 2 – 3 hours!

Ah, Freedom!

I just completed my Park Ranger season yesterday.   Now what?   Well, it’s alot like when I finished my first season at Bryce Canyon in 2001.  I literally did not know which way I was going to turn the steering wheel when I left the Park.

Stay tuned for the next adventure. 

We’re On YouTube Again

My Office Water Cooler

At the end of a hike into Willis Creek slot canyon, I loaned my camera to intern Anthony Betancourt and asked him to snap some photos of me cooling off.